Comments on: The Super Secret Leadership Problem Everybody Knows About Already.

By: Collierak

Collierak — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 01:59:05 +0000

Excellent article I wish my manager would read this!

By: heatherrast

heatherrast — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:12:23 +0000

Patrick, I really like what you're saying here (and love the Henley quote!). Companies *are* so fearful of employee ownership–they see it as a threat, as a loss of voice. Nothing could be farther from the truth. When employees are actively empowered to explore solutions and generate results – within the parameters of business objectives – they're able to pursue success on behalf of the company that believes in them. The outcomes are valuable in terms of return, of course, but also in less tangible yet critically important ways like employee satisfaction, loyalty, and a fire to perform.

By: heatherrast

heatherrast — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 20:07:10 +0000

Vince and Eddie, I believe leadership is exercised, not earned through career advancements. As you both suggest, culture is born from the values and vision owners and senior-level executives identify and practice in everyday decision-making. A culture of open leadership has to be nurtured and maintained just like any relationship; there must be deeds to go along with the talk.

By: Patrick Garmoe

Patrick Garmoe — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:11:24 +0000

Heather, excellent post on leadership, about workers needing true passion and ownership. Each person needs to know as William Ernest Henley, wrote in his poem Invictus: "I am the captain of my soul."

A great book I read that really spells this out and shows people how to create great companies (by in essence allowing staff to take ownership), is http://www.triballeadership.net/ (free audio download).

By: Eddie

Eddie — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 08:43:28 +0000

@Vince – this is so true, the culture must be set from the top down. When the executives display the culture on a daily basis it becomes infectious throughout the company.

By: Vince DeGeorge

Vince DeGeorge — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 02:51:56 +0000

This really starts at the top of an organization – and sets the tone for the senior and middle managers down the line. Most org charts to me are upside down. The person “at the top” is actually at the bottom supporting the foundation for the rest of the company. If that foundation fails, it will be very unstable for the rest. Each level below (above in my scenario) is another layer that can fail – but again, it all starts with whoever is in charge of it all.

By: heatherrast

heatherrast — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 01:06:01 +0000

Faith (in our own abilities and our support system), Fire (the desire to learn, grow and achieve), and Focus (concentrating on the task and goals before us) come together with Knowledge to create high performance. A good leader helps establish and maintain the support system/environment which enables trust to take root.

I agree that failure plays an important part in the learning process, but this post isn't about the merits of controlled exploration. Experiencing failure, regardless of scale or frequency, doesn't necessarily build a great leader or enable someone to be a good manager of people. Among the qualities possessed by a good leader or manager is the humility to know the roles others play in their own personal success, and the strength of character to support the needs of others as they relate to the goals of the organization.

By: Garious

Garious — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 19:55:36 +0000

I think that great leaders are those who failed a thousand times and succeeded on their 1001st try. I'd be wary of someone who claim that he or she hasn't met failure at all. Is it all about credibility and social proof these days? I think many forget the spiritual side of leadership these days which is as simple as the golden rule of karma.

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